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All Paws on Deck!

November 29, 2018

Dozens of volunteers join us every day at Preble Street, offering their time, energy, and unique skills to serve people in need. Some are great chefs who prepare meals in the kitchen. Others serve up food or scrub dishes. And some like to pad around on all fours, wagging their tails, giving adoration, and receiving love during their weekly visit to the Preble Street Teen Center.

Meet Monson, Woody, and Sam!

A bouncy Dalmatian with a lot of love to give, Monson is a certified therapy dog who accompanies his human counterpart, Melissa, on Tuesday evenings at the Teen Center. He started visiting in 2017 and has brought much joy to the youth, staff, and volunteers alike. The teens often run right up to Monson, hugging him and telling him they love him — and even ask if he can come sleep in the shelter. As Melissa says, “He seems to know when people need him.”

Monson isn’t the only doggy volunteer at Preble Street. Woody and Sam are a dynamic duo who visit the Teen Center on Friday mornings with their person, Susan.

“There was a young man to whom Woody took a special liking,” recalls Susan. “Whenever this youth would walk through the door, Woody would go to him. He was a tough guy on the street but a marshmallow around Woody, and proudly told his friends of the tricks he had taught him. One day after he’d aged out of the program, we arrived to find he had stopped by with a can of dog food for Woody. Imagine — here’s a kid with nothing, who went out of his way to get and spend his money on a can of dog food for his little buddy. We took pictures of the dogs devouring his treat and put thank you signs around their necks to let him know what that meant to us.”

Thank you, Monson, Woody, Sam, Melissa, and Susan for all the time, energy, and love you bring to Preble Street every week. We are honored to recognize your service!